title: Vesicular perylene dye nanocapsules as supramolecular fluorescent pH sensor systems.
abstract: Water-soluble, self-assembled nanocapsules composed of a functional bilayer membrane and enclosed guest molecules can provide smart (that is, condition responsive) sensors for a variety of purposes. Owing to their outstanding optical and redox properties, perylene bisimide chromophores are interesting building blocks for a functional bilayer membrane in a water environment. Here, we report water-soluble perylene bisimide vesicles loaded with bispyrene-based energy donors in their aqueous interior. These loaded vesicles are stabilized by in situ photopolymerization to give nanocapsules that are stable over the entire aqueous pH range. On the basis of pH-tunable spectral overlap of donors and acceptors, the donor-loaded polymerized vesicles display pH-dependent fluorescence resonance energy transfer from the encapsulated donors to the bilayer dye membrane, providing ultrasensitive pH information on their aqueous environment with fluorescence colour changes covering the whole visible light range. At pH 9.0, quite exceptional white fluorescence could be observed for such water-soluble donor-loaded perylene vesicles.
authors.affiliation: Universität Würzburg, Institut für Organische Chemie and Röntgen Research Center for Complex Material Systems, Am Hubland, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rehm
authors.forename: Marina M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Safont-Sempere
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Würthner
mesh_terms: D002623:Chemistry Techniques, Analytical / Q000295:instrumentation*; D031541:Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007094:Imides / Q000737:chemistry; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D053769:Nanocapsules / Q000737:chemistry*; D055620:Optical Phenomena; D010569:Perylene / Q000737:chemistry*; D058105:Polymerization
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D007094:Imides; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D053769:Nanocapsules; D010569:Perylene